Turbo Hatchback Time Attack

As a long-time fan of racing games, it’s easy to feel discouraged about the state of the genre. Oh sure, Microsoft has done a good job keeping Forza Horizon going and we’re still getting new Mario Kart games, but there was a time when we were swimming in franchises like Burnout, Need for Speed, Midnight Club, wipEout and even Ridge Racer. If I want arcade racing thrills these days, I normally have to turn to the indie scene, with throwback titles like Horizon Chase and Parking Garage Rally Circuit. You can now throw Turbo Hatchback Time Attack on that list, because this is another well-made racer that scratches a very specific itch. Let me show you why Grumpy Pizza’s debut game is worth your attention in this early review of Turbo Hatchback Time Attack.

Turbo Hatchback Time Attack is the kind of racing game that is fun the moment you pick up the controller. As the title suggests, it’s a game built around a time attack mode, which means that you’re competing against yourself to beat each course as fast as possible. Earn bronze and you’ll open up a new stage, while snagging one of those silver medals will unlock a brand-new car.

At first glance, the gameplay reminds me a lot of Ridge Racer, Crash Team Racing and other games that emphasize drifting around corners. When you do it in this game, it fills up a gauge that will give our little hatchback a nice speed boost. You can also fill up this gauge by jump over and near-missing the other cars and hitting speed boosts, but the big innovation here is the ability to do barrel rolls and other tricks while airborne. All this will keep your gauge filled up, boosting the car’s overall speed until the bonus runs out.

There are eight different levels to race through, each based on a different part of the world. One of my early favorites is the Redwood Valley, which makes it feel like you’re racing through some of California’s incredible forests. Another favorite is Volcano Island, which is a tropical setting that eventually veers off-road. There is, of course, Mount Snowstorm, an ice-covered track full of twists and turns. And if you ever get sick of the incredible views and lush locations, you can try your luck in the Neon City, which looks like it came straight out of a 1980s Night Flight video.

The tracks themselves are well-constructed and fun to play. Much like Parking Garage Rally Circuit, they look simple at first, but as you play them, you’ll notice little shortcuts and ways to shave seconds off of your time. Sometimes it’s just jumping over a gap, while other times it will be something far more substantial. The shortcuts in this game are cleverly hidden, with some taking you to completely different parts of the level.

A lot of the reason why this works so well is because the racing gameplay is so much fun. Between the drifting, jumping and flipping around in air, Turbo Hatchback is a blast to play. Even when I was replaying the same stage over and over to shave a few seconds off my time, I couldn’t get enough of the aerial stunts and hitting the perfect drift. This is the kind of arcade-style racing game that is easy to pick up and play, but offers enough depth to keep you glued to the screen.

Unfortunately, there isn’t the same level of depth when it comes to the game modes. As the title suggests, this is a time attack mode and nothing else. You don’t race against other cars and there are no multiplayer modes. This is you against the clock, nothing more. Unless you get obsessed with the worldwide leaderboards, there isn’t much for you to do once you earn gold on all eight stages. That’s a shame, but will take some real doing in order to get that far. Let me tell you, even earning a silver medal can be a real battle.

Because it’s so easy to unlock every stage, a lot of the work will go into earning each of the nine different vehicles. These cars are all parodies of well-known brands, though I’m not sure all of them necessarily qualify as hatchbacks. The cars themselves all handle identically and all have the same top-speed, so any difference is merely cosmetic. I wish they would have leaned in more with the hatchback theme, especially as a guy who owns one in real life, but it’s hard to argue with the selection of cars.

One thing that did not disappoint were the visuals. It has a simple, low-polygon look that is clean and striking. The stages feel fast and fluid, with speedy animation and just enough visual flourishes to impress. It’s also vibrant and colorful, with each stage offering its own look and atmosphere. Weirdly enough, the only weak link here is the car. For whatever reason, your ride doesn’t look like it’s at the same resolution as the rest of the visuals. Maybe it’s the way it’s jittering around, but it looks a little blurry. Not so much where it’s distracting, but definitely enough where I couldn’t help but notice it.

What Turbo Hatchback Time Attack may be lacking in modes and extras, it more than makes up with fun gameplay and well-constructed level designs. This is a short racing game that will likely only take you a few hours to beat, but at five dollars, it’s hard to complaint too much. What you get is a thrilling throwback racing game that delivers where it counts. I don’t love the name, but Turbo Hatchback Time Attack is an easy game to recommend.